SUMMER SALE !

A few of the listings in my etsy shop are about to expire and I want to add new goodies in August when I get back from vacation . So all of these items must go !!

The coffee sleeves are now 5$ and the baby bibs are now 8$ and 10$ . I have also reduced the price of shipping on these items....

Please go on over and take a look !

shop update

I have had my little online store since May . I think it's about time to add a few new things that I have floating around here .

So here are some totes and book bags that will be in the shop , hopefully today if my computer cooperates...

This one is a ' farmers market ' tote . It's canvas and fairly large . I love reusable shopping bags even tho' I forget to use them more than I'd like to admit .Why do I always get to the checkout before I remember I left them in the car ? Below is a detail of the interior pocket and removable covered plastic needlepoint base .

This one is a small book bag .

It's a collage of scraps of fabric . I love the vintage style schoolgirls on the front. This bag would be nice for a little girl carrying a coloring book and a new box of crayons or a book or 2. ( There's a little piece of vintage lace on there too ! )
This next one is a felt bag with sparrow appliques . The inside lining is a green that matches the buttons and ric rac tie closure. It's a tad on the bright side but I think it's a very interesting combination . I love mixing unusual colors together .(It is rectangular but because I tied the strap shorter for the picture it looks narrower on top than it really is.)

I made one for myself that has an applique of our little Coco I use for the library. Because of the felt , it isn't washable .
here's a closeup detail : And finally a couple of notepads that were fun to make, again with the fabric scraps I couldn't throw away .
The ' ironing lady ' is one of the very first fabrics that started my addiction to fabric a few years ago. I don't have very much left of this particular one and wish I had bought more of it . I'm not even sure who makes it , altho' I probably have the selvage floating around somewhere (see below) . I also had a bluish green version , but like the cream color better .

Note to self : buy more of the fabric you know you'll wish you had more of later .

I also save all the words off the selvages ! I think they make cute sayings on things like this and have a mini French paperboard suitcase full !

Doxies and etsy sales

This sure has been a busy week .

Coco , our miniature dachshund , made an unexpected trip to the vet again . It seems she is allergic to grass ? She usually gets red and scratchy but this was a little worse and her face also got swollen .This is the second time in a year . We're being told the swollen face must be due to a bug bite but I'm not so sure . Anway after a steroid shot and some more take home meds she's doing well .
This sparked in me a determination to make her , and maybe eventually more doxies ( ?) , clothing that would cover their little ' barely taller than the grass ' bodies while taking walks . I have bought her clothes in the past for the allergy reason-o.k and she's cute in it , but none of them have fit her very well . Either the chest is too tight and the body too short but the waist fits or the chest is just right and the rest sags to the ground . I took one of her best fitting dresses , a little 'shabby chic' number and cut it apart to make a pattern with much modification . After trying 2 , it still didnt work very well . So after a trip to the local pet boutique I saw that most of them had a stretchy 1 piece bottom instead of the velcro closure . That will be my next attempt . I won't give up . O.k maybe I will , but I'll try first . I'm just not that good (yet) with little clothing pieces for dogs . I'll keep you updated on anything that looks good enough to post . In the meantime here are a few pictures of her birthday party last month .
My daughter made her the hat . She ( Coco , the dog) turned 5.

I also had my very first etsy sale this week ! Yippee ! I now feel official . I hope they like it . It was one of my favorite things . You can see it in my banner up there-the Dick and Jane diaper and wipes case .

Well , I should go and make things . Have a great weekend !

Yippee they're here !

And they only took about a week from order to arrival so I'm really pleased . I got them from here . I Probably should have ordered more 'go with everything' colors , but I really like these 2 colors together .This combination reminds me of 'mint and chip' ice cream . I don't really have a favorite color but I do have favorite combinations , and it seems like a lot of them remind me of ice cream .

I also got a project (goal) done this week !

This is the Liesl Gibson ' Day in the park ' backpack/tote . I really like it .
The pattern has been hanging around my 'workshop' for awhile so this was something I wanted to get done . I've already started using it so the picture really doesn't do it any justice because it's full of my things ( also I'm not the best photographer ) . I had trouble with the grommets , they just weren't cooperating and because I was anxious to get it finished I just cut them off and stitched the ends over the 'rings' instead and it works just fine .
The fabric is the new Denyse Schmidt 'County Fair ' fabric , it's heavier than regular quilting fabric , like a canvas so it's nice for a project like this .

Also bought this book today. I've been trying out patchwork lately and need an excuse to use up some of my fabric scraps (and go shopping). I save even the smallest postage stamp sized scrap ! I recently gave my sister 6 shopping bags full and I still have 3 bags for myself .

Then I went today and added to my stash! I shouldn't have but I do have projects to finish ! And there always seems to be the one piece you 'need' that you don't have on hand !

And I can't resist a squirrel patch .

Summer goals and an all day tote

This is a Lotta Jansdotter tote "All day tote" I made about a month ago from her book "Simple Sewing". I love the "french strawberry ice cream colored " pre-quilted pink fabric . The inside lining is a floral from joann's. I wish the bottom of the bag retained it's shape better (which I'm sure is my fault ) . I've run into this problem before with this type of bag bottom, maybe there's a trick I don't know about ? Make the inside a little shorter? I might try that and see .

I have a lot of patterns . I don't always make anything from them. This summer my goal is to try and start up (and finish) a few of them . Their pictures will get posted as soon as they get done or as they say in french "au fur et a mesure"!